Die Kochgarage – das Kochbuch

I was invited to the launch of the Kochgarage‘s cookbook on Tuesday night, for an evening of excellent food. It was also an opportunity to catch up with some of Munich’s food bloggers – Steffen, Sabine, Stefan and Björn, and I finally met the lovely Gerhard from Isarblog.

Graciela Cucchiara founded the Kochgarage in late 2009. A former psychologist and graphic designer from Argentina, she’d decided to open the Kochgarage with her sister in Neuhausen, in an industrial building in the Nymphenburgerstraße. It’s a place where people can cook, drink, celebrate and eat together. Be it with family, friends, colleagues or complete strangers, people come together in the kitchen. The concept has grown to be so successful, Cucchiara decided to write a cookbook, so that people can continue to cook together at home.

The book contains over sixty recipes from across the world. Cucchiara’s team is very international – with cooks and assistants from Japan, Portugal, Spain and Indonesia, to name but a few. The recipes are equally varied – from Bavarian veal birds or Parisian rabbit to Morccan lamb shoulder, Ecuadorian tameles and Vietnamese casserole.

The book has been lovingly created. The photographs are stunning, with images of Cucchiara harvesting vegetables, a hunter and his deer, fish being smoked and people enjoying dinner together. From harvest to the table, the images show Cucchiara’s passion for honest cooking and colourful dishes that use simple, high-quality ingredients.

We had the chance to try some of the book’s dishes – including Boris’ delicious New York fish burger with guacamole, Graciela’s Balinese prawn curry, Indian bhelpuri, the most fantastic samosas and freshly baked bread.

The book can be ordered online from Südwest, or you can swing by the Kochgarage and pick up a copy yourself. And if you’re interested in taking part in an event at Die Kochgarage – either with friends or colleagues, you can find out more information here, or by sending an email to the team.